Man arrested for murder of Alabama woman missing for two years. Her remains were found in Alabama woods.

Published 4:02 pm Monday, March 4, 2024

One man has been arrested after skeletal remains located in the Alabama woods have been identified as that of a woman reported missing two years ago.

Maxwell Allen St. John has been arrested and charged with one count of felony murder and one count of abuse of a corpse in the death of Kyla Elaine Bobo.

In February 2022, family members of Kyla Bobo contacted the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office to report Kyla as a missing person.

Kyla was from the Moody area of St. Clair County and had lived in and around St. Clair County all her life. An extensive investigation was launched immediately.

Numerous tips were followed up on, evidence processed, and many individuals were interviewed.

In November 2023, skeletal remains were located in a wooded area in St. Clair County near Pell City.

The St. Clair County Criminal Investigation Unit, the St. Clair County Drug Enforcement Unit, and Jacksonville State University Center for Applied Forensics collected the evidence of the skeletal remains. The remains were processed for DNA testing by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

In February of 2024, a preliminary identification was made.

Maxwell Allen St. John was later arrested and charged with one count of felony murder and one count of abuse of a corpse.

St. John was extradited from Bullock Correctional Facility where he was serving an 11-year sentence for Rape, which occurred in St. Clair County.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Jacksonville State University Center for Applied Forensics, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Pell City Police Department, Ashville Police Department, RAT-SAR K9, and their team.

“I would like to give a special thanks to the St. Clair County Drug Enforcement Unit for their hard work and tireless efforts to bring this case to where we are today,” Sheriff Billy J. Murray said. “I would like to say thank you to the family of Kyla who assisted law enforcement in remarkable ways to bring this case to a successful conclusion. Our prayers go out to Kyla’s family in this most difficult time.”